BATS; Santana Skips a Workout to Stretch His Pitching Arm, but the Mets Play It Down

By ANDREW KEH

Published: March 10, 2013

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Johan Santana did not work out with his teammates Saturday morning. Instead, he remained indoors to stretch his arm and receive extra treatment on it.

Manager Terry Collins said the decision for Santana to skip a day was not related to any pain or injury, only a desire to rein him back to a more conservative pace.

Collins and Dan Warthen, the team’s pitching coach, said the plan now was to speak to Santana each morning to gauge how he felt before setting a plan for the day.

“He said he thought he should really do some stretching exercises for the flexibility of his shoulder, and I said, By all means, get it done; make sure you’re ready to go,” Collins said Saturday.

He added, “There’s no discomfort, but due to the fact he’s been throwing and throwing, there might be a little fatigue in there.”

Santana, a 33-year-old left-hander and the team’s highest-paid player, has yet to appear in a spring training game after it was determined his arm was not in optimal condition. But last Sunday, less than 24 hours after General Manager Sandy Alderson said Santana would not get on a mound for 10 days, Santana threw an impromptu bullpen session to dispel notions that he was unprepared.

“Last week, because of his displeasure of what was going on, what was being said, he sort of rushed things,” Collins said.

Santana made only 21 starts last season, which followed a season missed to shoulder surgery.

Collins said last Wednesday that Santana would pitch a game within a week.

But he was less specific Saturday afternoon, saying Santana’s schedule would be flexible and re-evaluated daily.

With Santana’s readiness for the start of the season in doubt, the Mets have begun to plan for the first few games of the season. The team has a day off early on, which will afford some leeway.

But if Santana seems set to miss considerable time, Jeremy Hefner could move into the rotation. Hefner continued to impress Saturday, pitching three scoreless innings during the Mets’ 9-6 win over the Houston Astros.

“He’s done a nice job,” Collins said of Hefner. “Coming into this camp, in a lot of people’s minds, he was our No. 6 guy. So certainly he’s going to continue to pitch, and if we need a guy, we know he’s going to be ready.”

Whether Hefner will be called into action remains to be seen. Though the Mets are encouraging Santana to pace himself, he will be in control of his schedule.

“We don’t want to take any chances of getting a setback,” Warthen said. “In everybody’s mind’s eye, it’s going to have be on Johan.”

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

PHOTO: Mets Manager Terry Collins said Johan Santana was being held to a conservative pace. “There’s no discomfort,” Collins said. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIO CORTEZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS)